354: Derek Jones on Cirque du Soleil, gear, and being fearless

Derek Jones is the bassist for Cirque du Soleil’s show KÀ. He joined Cirque after spending time playing with Chris Thile and Nickel Creek and then with Jerry Douglas, and he has played over 5,200 performances of this show at this point.

We dig into topics like:

  • challenges of dealing with the low humidity in Las Vegas
  • Derek’s unexpected chance to see Gary Karr play live in Las Vegas recently
  • his 12 1/2 years on the Cirque show
  • why it’s better to cut frequencies than boost
  • growing up in the Bay Area and getting his break on the salsa music scene
  • the decision to move to Nashville
  • the three ways to experience a culture (language, food, music)

…and much more!

You can get Derek’s albums Run With Me and Dusk ’til Dawn in hi res audio from Blue Coast Records!

Thanks to our sponsors!

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By Jason

An active double bass performer and teacher, Jason teaches double bass at DePaul University and served on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Bassists for many years. Jason is the current President of the Illinois chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Jason has been a member of the Elgin Symphony since 2000 and has played with the Midsummer’s Music Festival in Door County for the past decade. He is a past member of the Milwaukee Ballet and IRIS Orchestra, and has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Symphony, and numerous other professional ensembles.